Chair construction



April 18, 1967 L. c. SMITH CHAIR CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 25, 1966 INVENTO/P. LELAND C. SMITH United States Patent 3,314,721 CHAIR CONSTRUCTION Leland C. Smith, 101 Thayer St., Syracuse, N.Y. 13205 Filed Jan. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 522,882 6 Claims. (Cl. 297-445) This invention relates to a chair construction and to a method of making chairs which are adapted for pleasing unitary design, quantity production, and economy of parts.

In chair construction, as is the case with all furniture, the article must look comfortable and attractive, must provide relaxed seating comfort and, often, must provide economy in the space occupied without sacrifice of comfort. Choice of materials involves structural members for support, visual members for appearance, and functional members for comfort. A problem today in choosing materials and designing for beauty, comfort and economy is the time and money required for skilled craftsmen to assemble a plurality of parts of different materials, if such dedicated craftsmen can be found. To compete in todays market, moreover, new and original exciting designs are required as well as simplicity of construction.

Turning to plastic technology, as it is known today, the chair of the present invention, besides allowing for the choice of design for maximum beauty and comfort, faces the problems from a new viewpoint, not beginning with an individual part or even a components system, but relegates multi-roles to fewer and fewer individual elements married in a unitary whole which can be produced in quantity at a minimum of expense.

The primary object of the invention therefore is to provide a unitary seating construction with attractive appearance, maximum comfort and economy of space and which can be economically produced in quantity.

Another important object is to provide a chair of molded plastic resins which is completely formed in the mold with a minimum subsequent assembling of component molded parts.

A further object is to provide a unitary chair structure in which the marriage of components is achieved at minimum expense but leaves room for a multitude of designs varying in appearance and shape.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description in conjunction with the appended drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modified form of chair according to the invention;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary exploded longitudinal sectional view illustrating the molding of the support portion of the chair of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary exploded longitudinal sectional view illustrating the molding of the cushion portion of the chair of FIG. 2; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view on asmaller scale on the line 55 of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIGURE 1, a high-backed chair has legs 11, a seat support portion 12, conventional arm-rests 13, a back 14, a head rest portion at the top of the back, and a seat 16.

In FIGURES 2 and 5 a modified form of chair has a seat support portion 21 including legs 22, a back 23 without head-rest, and a cushion portion 24 covered With a layer of flexible sheet material 25, such as a textile. The cushion 24 covers both seat and back of the chair and the seat rises at either side to provide low arm-rest portions 26 at either side of the seat 27, as shown in FIG. 5.

As diagrammatically illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4, each of the chairs 10 and 20 are molded in a two die perspective view of a chair according to process in which the support or structural portion 30 is molded in a two-part die 30a-30b and the cushion portion 31, including a textile or other cover, is molded in another two-part die 31a-31b.

The support portion 30 comprises two layers 32 and 33. The thin outer shell layer 32 is formed of thermo-plastic sheet material such as polystyrene, thermoformed in part by vacuum forming. A sheet of the plastic material is draped over the top of the female mold 30b as indicated by the broken lines 34 in FIGURE 3. The sheet is supported at its edges by a frame, not shown, and is placed over the cavity 35 of the mold while hot and in plastic state so that the center of the sheet drops into the cavity 35. Vacuum is then applied to the cavity through the ducts 36 and 37 in well-known manner to draw the plastic down into the mold and the plastic is allowed to harden as it cools.

A combination with drape forming is preferred over simple vacuum forming alone since it leaves the shell layer 32 a more uniform thickness than vacuum forming which tends to leave the plastic thin at the bottom of the mold because of stretching the sheet along the walls of the mold. Polypropylene and ABS (acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene) plastics are also suitable for this shell forming process but the cost is greater. It will also be apparent that the outer shell layer can be given any suitable finish and color by conventional means or the plastic may have integral color and the texture may be formed by the mold surface.

After the shell layer has hardened and while it is still in the mold 30b, a measured plastic resin such as urethane with a foaming agent is placed in the cavity 35 within the shell layer 32, the male half 30a of the mold is closed and the foaming plastic is allowed to foam and fill the capacity '35. Alternatively, other foaming plastic materials may be used and the foaming agent may be a liquid or a dry solid mixed with the resin material which foam with the application of heat. The foamed plastic material which forms the comparatively thick inner layer 33 of the support portion 33 is a rigid foamed plastic which gives strength to the support portion not furnished by the comparatively thin outer shell layer. The inner layer 33, being formed by foaming within the shell layer 32, is bonded to it in a unitary structure. When the support structure 30 is removed from the mold 3ila3ilb, edge portions 34a of the shell layer 32 which 'were secured in the frame may be clipped away in the usual manner.

The cushion portion 31 of the chair is formed in unitary fashion in the other two part die 31a-31b as shown n FIG. 4. A thin upper or inner surface layer 41 of flexible sheet material, such as fabric or flexible plastic material, is first secured over the male half 31a of the mold. Vacuum may be used to secure the layer 41 to the mold, or a waxy or starchy adhesive, easily dissolved by heat or moisture, may be used.

A measured portion offoaming plastic material such as flexible urethane or other elastic plastic foam with a suitable foaming agent is then poured into the cavity 42 of the female half 31b of the mold and the mold is closed. A comparatively thick layer 43 of flexible plastic foam is thus formed bonded to the thin surface layer 41 in a unitary cushion portion 31.

Portions 30 and 31 are removed from their molds and secured together, as shown in FIG. 2, by adhesive or Both the joined securely by adhesive.

The cavity 42 in the female mold 3115 will be seen to complementarily conform exactly in outline with that of the male mold 30a, so that the shape of the lower or outer surface of portion 40 conforms exactly with the upper or inner surface of the portion 30.

Alternatively, therefore, portions 30 and 31 may be secured together around their edges by a separate fastener such as a zipper or velcro type ribbon which has plastic barbed fiber projections on one half of the fastener meshing with tangling fibers on the other half of the fastener. This latter type of separable fastener is completely concealed since one half of the fastener is secured to the under surface of layer 43 and the other half is secured to the upper surface of layer 33.

Layers 33 and 43 may also be bonded together by a modified one-mold process. After the layers 32 and 33 are formed as described above in the mold 30a and 30b, the male mold 3011, or the portion thereof defining the upper or inner surface of the foamed layer 33, is removed and a portion conforming to the male portion of mold 31a is substituted leaving a cavity conforming to that of the cavity 42 of the mold 31a-31b between the molded portion '30, still in the mold, and the modified male portion of the mold when it is closed. Layer 41 is secured to the modified male mold and the cavity is fllled with a measured portion of flexible plastic foaming material, the modified mold is closed, and the layer '43 is foam molded in the cavity bonding it to both layers 41 and 33.

It will be apparent that the surface layer 41 may be omitted in the mold and applied later by conventional means. However, the molding method is preferred for reasons of economy.

Surface layer 41 may be extended up over the top of the back portions 14 or 23 of chairs or as shown and the cushion portion 40 may be formed to cover the inside and top of arm-rest portions 13 or 2-6 as desired. If fashioned carefully in the mold, the edges of the surface layer 41 will meet with and cover the edges of the shell layer 32. Alternatively, conventional strip material may be secured along these adjoining edges.

It will be apparent that the chair structure described above is sturdy and light in weight, may provide attractive new designs by forming the mold shapes imaginatively, and may be mass-produced with the minimum of hand labor. The completed structure is a unitary whole and its mode of fabrication is adapted for designs combining space-saving and comfort-producing features not practical in conventionally-produced furniture.

As will be apparent to those familiar with the art, the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The embodiments disclosed therefore are to be considered in all respects as illustrative rather than restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A chair structure comprising a molded support portion and a molded cushion portion secured together; the

support portion being completely self-supporting and having a comparatively thin molded outer shell layer of rigid solid plastic material providing the outer finish to the structure, and having a comparatively thick inner layer of rigid foamed plastic material to give strength to the support portion, the outer and inner layers being bonded together by foam-molding the latter within the former; the cushion portion comprising at least in part a layer of flexible foamed plastic for providing cushioning to the cushion portion; the support portion including at least leg portions, a seat portion, and a chair back portion; the cushion portion extending at least over the seat portion and over the inner surface of the back portion, and being bonded to the seat portion and the back portion, the seat contacting and back contacting surfaces of the cushion portion being foam molded to conform exactly in outline and contour with the mating surfaces of the seat and back portions of the support portion.

2. The chair structure defiined in claim 1 further including an inner surface layer of thin flexible sheet material bonded to the cushion portion in the foam molding of the cushion portion for providing a body contacting surface for the structure.

3. A chair structure comprising a molded support portion and a molded cushion portion secured together; the support portion being completely self-supporting and consisting of a comparatively thin molded outer shell layer including leg portions of rigid solid plastic material and a comparatively thick inner layer of rigid foamed plastic material molded integrally with the shell layer for bonding the layers together to give strength to the support portion; the cushion portion having a comparatively thin flexible upper layer for providing body contacting surface qualities, and having a comparatively thick lower layer of flexible foamed plastic for providing cushioning qualities; the lower and side surfaces of the cushion portion being molded to conform exactly in configuration and contour to the upper and inner side surfaces of the inner layer of the molded support portion; the support portion providing at least seat support menas and chair back means, and the cushion portion extending at least over the seat support means and in front of the chair back means; whereby the secured together portions constitute a unitary seating structure.

4. The chair structure defined in claim 3 characterized by the cushion portion being secured to the support portion by adhesive.

5. The chair structure defined in claim 3 characterized by the cushion portion being secured to the support portion by separable fastener means, one half of the fastener means being secured to the lower layer of the cushion portion around its edges and the other half of the fastener means being secured to the inner layer of the support portion around its edges.

6. The chair structure defined in claim 3 characterized by the cushion portion being bonded to the inner layer of the support portion by molding the support portion and the cushion portion in the same female mold.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,845,997 8/1958 Waite 297457 2,892,489 6/ 1959 Hurley 297457 X 2,936,826 5/1960 Reineman 297445 2,989,112 6/1961 Sonnleitner' 297457 X 3,223,450 12/1965 Pollock 297457 X 3,236,560 2/ 1966 Abramovitz 297422 References Cited by the Applicant UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 24,569 11/ 1958 Thaden.

2,764,228 9/ 1956 Donohue. 3,043,627 7/ 1962 Torjusen.

CASMIR A, NUNBERG, Primary Examiner, 

1. A CHAIR STRUCTURE COMPRISING A MOLDED SUPPORT PORTION AND A MOLDED CUSHION PORTION SECURED TOGETHER; THE SUPPORT PORTION BEING COMPLETELY SELF-SUPPORTING AND HAVING A COMPARATIVELY THIN MOLDED OUTER SHELL LAYER OF RIGID SOLID PLASTIC MATERIAL PROVIDING THE OUTER FINISH TO THE STRUCTURE, AND HAVING A COMPARATIVELY THICK INNER LAYER OF RIGID FOAMED PLASTIC MATERIAL TO GIVE STRENGTH TO THE SUPPORT PORTION, THE OUTER AND INNER LAYERS BEING BONDED TOGETHER BY FOAM-MOLDING THE LATTER WITHIN THE FORMER; THE CUSHION PORTION COMPRISING AT LEAST IN PART A LAYER OF FLEXIBLE FOAMED PLASTIC FOR PROVIDING CUSHIONING TO THE CUSHION PORTION; THE SUPPORT PORTION INCLUDING AT LEAST LEG PORTIONS, A SEAT PORTION, AND A CHAIR BACK PORTION; THE CUSHION PORTION EXTENDING AT LEAST OVER THE SEAT PORTION AND OVER THE INNER SURFACE OF THE BACK PORTION, AND BEING BONDED TO THE SEAT PORTION AND THE BACK PORTION, THE SEAT CONTACTING AND BACK CONTACTING SURFACES OF THE CUSHION PORTION BEING FOAM MOLDED TO CONFORM EXACTLY IN OUTLINE AND CONTOUR WITH THE MATING SURFACES OF THE SEAT AND BACK PORTIONS OF THE SUPPORT PORTION. 